By Chukwuemeka Opara
Abakaliki – The members of All Progressive Party (APC) in Ebonyi have affirmed their support for President Muhammadu Buhari and the party’s leadership in the wake of Tuesday’s defection of some national assembly members.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that several members of the party at the national assembly, defected to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the African Democratic Congress (ADC) during the plenary of both chambers of the assembly.
The party’s members who spoke to NAN on Wednesday in Abakaliki after series of consultations, affirmed their support to Buhari and the party’s leadership and pledged to heed to the counsel of not losing sleep over the defections.
Dr Paul Okorie, A 2019 election gubernatorial sspirant under the party’s platform, noted that the party shared the president’s view that the defectors left the party for political re-alignment as the 2019 election approached.
Okorie, a former Commissioner for Works in Ebonyi, said the defectors due to their anti-party activities, feel the APC would not give them nomination for re-election and decided to seek alternative platforms.
“Their anti-party idiosyncrasies came to the fore by their collusion to enthrone a non-APC Deputy Senate President which was abnormal and never obtained any where in the world,” he said.
He noted that the APC in Ebonyi was resolutely behind the president and the party’s leadership as Buhari, who has recorded giant strides in agriculture and war against corruption among others, would win the 2019 presidential election.
Chieff Chaka Nweze, ormer Chairman of Ohaozara Local Government Area (LGA), said that the party members were in total support of the president’s and party leadership’s drive to reposition the country and the party.
Nweze, a former APC Interim Secretary in Ebonyi, informed party’s faithful across the country that the defection would turn out to be a blessing because the defectors would be disappointed in their new abodes.
“The APC should instead of worrying over their departure, prepare to handle the influx of defectors from the opposition parties because the promises made to the defectors would not be kept.
“I was formerly of the main opposition party in the country and know that it will not fulfill the promises made to the defectors which will make it difficult for them to defect again,” he said.
Nweze noted that the defectors would meet a “brick wall” in their new abodes as those who have been clamouring to contest under the parties’ platforms would stoutly resist it.
“In cases where the defectors get the parties’ nominations, those already there will massively defect to the APC in anger or vote in protest for us over the perceived ill-treatment.
“It will then be a winning situation for the APC as a new set of leaders will emerge in the country with the defectors losing even if given nominations,” he said.
Chief Nkemakolam Odii, a Party Stalwart and Contractor noted that the APC gained from the defections because it would presently know its real members and detractors.
“The defection presents the party an opportunity of sieving the weed from the grains as the defectors had been the stumbling blocks to the president’s development agenda and the party’s growth.
“Most of them were elected in the first place due to the president’s influence and seeking election without such influence, will definitely give them no chance of electoral success,” he said.
He noted that the development had strengthened the party in Ebonyi and prayed that it strengthens state chapters instead of demolarising them.
“We will practically translate the gains of this defection into practice by working in unison and sense of purpose to achieve landslide electoral success in the 2019 general elections,” he said.
(NAN)
